More Poles Support President Nawrocki’s Approach to Ukraine Than Government’s, Poll Shows
A new poll reveals that 42.6% of Poles back President Karol Nawrocki’s hardline stance on Ukraine, while 32.5% support the more flexible approach of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government. The survey comes amid heightened tensions following Ukraine’s naming of a military unit after UPA heroes and the diplomatic fallout over the Order of the White Eagle.
A survey conducted by SW Research for Onet, released on July 3, 2026, shows that a plurality of Poles favor President Karol Nawrocki’s tough position on Ukraine over that of the government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. 42.6% of respondents supported Nawrocki’s approach, while 32.5% backed the government’s stance – including Tusk and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski. 14.6% expressed no opinion, and 10.4% said they were not interested in the issue. The poll was carried out on July 1, 2026, using online interviews (CAWI) with a sample of 832 adults.
The tensions between Poland and Ukraine escalated in late May when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named a military unit after the heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Nawrocki responded by revoking Zelenskyy’s Order of the White Eagle, and the Ukrainian leader returned the award by mail before the procedure was completed. Further strain came from Zelenskyy’s absence at a conference in Gdańsk and a proposed law on a National Pantheon.
While Nawrocki has consistently taken a hard line, Tusk adopted a more cautious approach: he criticized the UPA decision but stressed the need to de-escalate tensions. The differing positions reflect a broader debate in Polish society about how to handle historical grievances with Ukraine.
On July 3, Sikorski met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Warsaw. Sybiha proposed an 'anti-crisis package' to ease tensions and received assurances from Sikorski that Poland would continue to support Ukraine in strengthening its defense capabilities.
